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  Fuel cell systemRelated Patent Categories: Chemistry: Electrical Current Producing Apparatus, Product, And Process, Fuel Cell, Subcombination Thereof Or Methods Of Operating, Having Means For Active Material Generation Or RegenerationFuel cell system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070042239, Fuel cell system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to fuel cells, and more particularly, to a fuel cell system capable of reducing the volume of fuel cells. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] With growing environmental concerns, as well as energy shortages, new energy sources are being sought all over the world. Of the various alternative energies, the fuel cell is one of the most desirable, as it combines hydrogen with oxygen to generate electric energy, and produces only water as a waste product; hence, the fuel cell is looked to as a way to efficiently reduce environment pollution. [0005] However, the typical fuel cell stacks tend to be damaged by CO, which reduces their efficiency. A catalytic converter for the reformation reaction is thus used to remove CO. The catalytic converter for the reformation reaction needs to perform 5 to 6 chemical reactions to remove CO, and each chemical reaction requires a different catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and an individual layer in the catalytic converter for the reformation reaction, which leads to excessive volumes and costs. [0006] Additionally, the operating temperature of the catalytic converter for the reformation reaction is very different from the working temperature of the stack; consequently, a user must separately provide heat to the catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and to the stack, which can lead to waste. Moreover, the catalytic converter for the reformation reaction requires many layers, which result in water, heat and electrical integration problems, and large volumes that make moving and storage difficult. [0007] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a fuel cell system to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention provides a fuel cell system, which comprises a distributor, at least one catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and a stack. The distributor has an inlet, at least one outlet and a central channel, wherein the central channel is connected to the inlet and the at least one outlet, the inlet used for injecting fuel, the fuel vaporized in the central channel and output by the at least one outlet. Each catalytic converter for the reformation reaction has an fuel inlet and an fuel outlet, the fuel inlet is connected to a corresponding at least one outlet of the distributor; the fuel inlet is used for injecting the vaporized fuel, and the fuel outlet is used for outputting reformed fuel. The stack has a fuel inlet, a air inlet, a air outlet, and a fuel outlet; the fuel inlet is connected to the fuel outlet of the at least one catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and is used for injecting the reformed fuel, the air inlet is used for inputting air, the air outlet being used for removing water in the stack after a reaction has occurred, and the fuel outlet is used for removing residual gas in the stack after the reaction has occurred. [0009] Therefore, the present invention can integrate the catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and the stack to reduce both the cost and fuel cell volume, and save fuel. [0010] Furthermore, when the fuel cell system has more than two catalytic converters for the reformation reaction a converging chamber can be added into the system. The converging chamber comprises at least two entrances and an exit. The entrance is correspondingly connected to the fuel outlet of the at least one catalytic converter for the reformation reaction, and the exit is connected to the fuel inlet of the stack. By adding the converging chamber, the fuel cell system can converge the catalytic converters in the reformation reactor to increase the efficiency of the fuel cell system. [0011] The fuel cell system further comprises at least one cooling fin mounted on the stack, which is used for dissipating heat generated by the fuel cell system. [0012] Furthermore, the distributor and the stack of the fuel cell can be tightly combined by at least one bolt, or by other methods such as fastener elements, glue or clips. [0013] Similarly, the at least one catalytic converter for the reformation reaction and the stack of the fuel cell system can be tightly combined by at least one screw, or by other methods such as fastener elements, glue or clips. [0014] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the present invention. [0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention. [0017] FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present invention. [0018] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0019] Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is a fuel cell system that comprises a distributor 12, a catalytic converter for a reformation reactor 14 and a stack 16. [0020] In this embodiment, the distributor 12 comprises an inlet 122, an outlet 124 and a central channel 128. The central channel 128 of the distributor 12 is connected to the inlet 122 and the outlet 124. Fuel is injected at the inlet 122, vaporized in the central channel 128, and then output from the outlet 124. Four bolts 126 are used to tightly mount the distributor 12 on the stack 16. Continue reading about Fuel cell system... Full patent description for Fuel cell system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Fuel cell system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Fuel cell system or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Fuel cell having charging unit Next Patent Application: Energy stations Industry Class: Chemistry: electrical current producing apparatus, product, and process ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Fuel cell system patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.15686 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , |
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